~ Articles, letters, thoughts, etc.

Vienna in London

London has many delights to offer all year round, but London at Christmas has a special atmosphere. I’m not talking about the sledgehammer-like advertising campaigns to get people to buy, buy, buy, but rather about the decorations all over the city, mainly festive Christmas trees festooned with many-coloured lights, some of which twinkle while others sparkle, producing a cheerful effect. In the pub where we like to eat ‘the best fish and chips in London,’ as they modestly proclaim, the array of lights at the bar was so intense and hypnotic as they flashed on and off that I was afraid it might cause someone (not me) to have an epileptic fit. Still, to be on the safe side I sat with my back to the bar. But Oxford Street at night, with its myriad lit-up trees and other decorations is a sight to be seen—a true Festival of…